On Blaney Street (Musical)

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ON BLANEY STREETScript and lyrics: Edward ShawMusic: Cathy Neff

"On Blaney Street"SYNOPSIS

Based on a true story, “On Blaney Street” is a parallel story of urban renewal and spiritual renewal. The story opens with a news crew doing a story about skid-row Blaney Street, which is slated for demolition by the Mayor. The news crew follows the lives of three homeless men, The Professor, Doc, and Charlie.

The Professor was a full professor at a university before his wife and daughter were killed in a plane crash. He plans to kill himself on the anniversary of their death, which happens to be the same night as the town meeting about the demolition of Blaney Street. Just as he is going to pull the trigger, he sees a vision of his wife and daughter who tell him that he has a work to do: he needs to go through addiction recovery and start a church to help others clean up and introduce them to Christ, which he does.

At the town meeting, the mayor and his council are stopped by Mother Widdles who runs a mission on Blaney Street. She was able to put an injunction on the plans until an impact study is done as to what is going to happen to the thousands of homeless now living on Blaney Street. The Mayor is furious and sanctions violence against the mission to stop the opposition. The mission is burned by an arson and the Mayor’s own illegitimate son, Two-Time, is killed in the fire, which causes a change in the Mayor.

A restaurant owner on Blaney Street, Anatoli, who was looking forward to being bought out by the government so he could retire in Florida, instead donates that money to The Professor to start his church.

Act I Music Samples

(Piano/vocal demo tracks)

Scene One: News crew; on Blaney Street, Early evening. The news crew visits Blaney Street for the first time. A ghost ballet shows Blaney Street in its glory days which fades to the present day ruin. The reporter sums up her report with "These Streets."

Scene Three: The Professor with Doc, and Charlie; Marchant Square (on Blaney Street), next morning. The Professor is reading the newspaper to the group and explaining the Mayor's renewal plan.

Scene Four: Anatoli, Ensemble; The Midtown Café, later that morning. Anatoli is reveling in the fact that he will get his check soon from the Mayor to buy out his restaurant for demolition.

Scene Five: "The Bums" and Ensemble; on Blaney Street, later that morning. The bums teach the news crew what it's like to live on the street.

Scene Six: The Professor; the Broadhurst Hotel for Men, night of September 4. On the anniversary of his wife's and daughter's deaths, The Professor plans to kill himself at this hotel for men.

Scene Six (cont'd): The Professor has the gun to his head when he sees a vision of his wife and daughter who stop him.

Scene Six (cont'd): The Professor commits to go and do what he's just been told to do, which is to get clean from the addiction, turn to the Lord, and help others to do the same.

Scene Seven: Ellington, Mayor, City Council; City Council Chambers, earlier that evening while the Professor was at the hotel. The Mayor and his people lay out their plan for the Blaney Street renovation.

Scene Eight: Mayor, Ellington, Aides; Mayor’s office, a few days later. Mother Widdles and her mission on Blaney Street stop the Mayor from tearing down Blaney Street until plans can be made to take care of the homeless who live there. The Mayor sanctions violence to silence her so he can proceed.

Scene Nine: Orphans (Two-Time & Bags) and Mother Widdles; The Midtown Café, several weeks later. Two-Time, and his friend, Bags, have been displaced when the clinic that housed them was closed by the Mayor. Mother Widdles promises to take care of them.

Act II Music Samples

Scene One: Ellington, reporter;The Bijou Lounge, a few weeks later. Ellington tries to sell a fabricated story about Mother Widdles to a less than upstanding newspaper reporter.

Scene Two: The Professor (now "Jonathan) and The Bums; Marchant Square, a few days later. Jonathan explains what happened while he was gone, and why he is going to build a church.

Scene Three: Mayor, Civil Servants, Ensemble; on Blaney Street, a few days later. The Mayor and his crew arrive on Blaney Street to pretend that they actually care about the people living on Blaney Street.

Scene Four: Jonathan; Outside the Church of the Light, later that night. Jonathan teaches that addiction can be overcome.

Scene Five: Mother Widdles, Jonathan, Ensemble; unfinished Church of the Light in Anatoli's restaurant, two days later. Funeral of Two-Time and Bags, orphans killed in the arsonist's fire at the mission.

Scene Five (cont'd): Jonathan, Ensemble; Mayor interrupts the funeral, and we learn that the orphan, Two-Time, was his illegitimate son.

Scene Six: No music. News report of arrests in the mission arson case.

Scene Seven: Jonathan, Ensemble; Church of the Light, three weeks later. Jonathan leads the congregation in one meeting before it is demolished.

Scene Eight: Jonathan, Ensemble; Beyond Blaney Street, the first new day. Anatoli decides to donate the money from his restaurant to Jonathan to build a new church.

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